Article carrier

ABSTRACT

A basket style article carrier having telescoping handle panels is provided with transverse partition structure which is struck from the region of the carrier blank which is intermediate the inner ends of the telescoping type handles and is manipulated in such manner during the formation of the carrier that a plurality of transverse partition strips are anchored near the top edge of each side wall and secured at their inner ends to a common anchoring panel which in turn is secured to medial partition handle structure. Overlapping inwardly extending medial panels are foldably joined to the medial edges of the end wall panels to form a medial partition handle structure. By this arrangement, a strong economical carrier is provided whose side walls are constructed with their upper edge portions configured as a straight line thus enchancing the appearance of the carrier.

Nov. 4, 1975 i United States Patent 11 1 Wood [ ARTICLE CARRIER [75] Inventor:

Prentice J. Wood, Jonesboro, Ga. Prtmary Exammer-W1ll1am l. Prlce [73] Asstgnee: The Mead Corporation, Dayton, Assistant Examiner-Stephen Marcus Ohio Attorney, Agent, or FirmWalter M. Rodgers [57] ABSTRACT A basket style article carrier having telescoping handle panels is provided with transverse partition structure which is struck from the region of the carrier blank which is intermediate the inner ends of the telescoping type handles and is manipulated in such manner during the formation of the carrier that a plurality 1 C l ww W7 wB mos M 1 sm l "H/ M m m 4 mmmw m n 1 mmmo 2 mum l n J m m m b 7 mnh e "c F M mmam o a d a .cd 8 S I] .d P .w F A U.mF l 1]] 2 1.. 2 00 2 2 555 l [l[ of transverse partition strips are anchored near the top [56] References Cited edge of each side wall'and secured at their inner ends UNITED STATES PATENTS to a common anchoring panel which in turn is secured to medial partition handle structure. Overlapping inwardly extending medial panels are foldably joined to 206/181 the medial edges of the end wall panels to form a me- 206/187 dial partition handle structure. By this arrangement, a

.. 206/180 strong economical carrier is provided whose side walls 206/184 are constructed with their upper edge portions config- 206/130 X ured as a straight line thus enchancing the appearance of the carrier.

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206 13 4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet 1 of3 3,917,058

FIG 1 FIG 2 U.S. Patent .Nov. 4, 1975 sht 2 of3 3,917,058

FIG 3 US. Patent Nov. 4, 1975 Sheet 3 of3 3,917,058

FIG 5 FIG 6 ARTICLE CARRIER Basket style article carriers are known in which the center cell on each side of the handle is formed by partition strips, the outer ends of which are foldably joined to an upwardly extending portion of the side wall. Such carriers are sturdy and economical and are formed from a single blank.

Other known basket style article carriers are provided with side walls whose upper edges are configured as a straight line and whose partition structure is formed from a separate blank. Such cariers are durable and are generally satisfactory although the manufacturing steps required to form a carrier from three separate blanks requires additional expense and sometimes results in manufacturing errors due to improper registry of the separate blanks with respect to each other.

Still other basket style carriers are known in which partition structure is struck from portions of the blank which are between the upper edge of the side walls and the handle panels and which are anchored to the side walls and to the handle. Such carriers ordinarily are difficult to manipulate during manufacture because at least one end of each partition strip is not securely anchored with reference to the other partition strips so that manufacturing errors are likely.

According to this invention an attractive basket carrier is provided having side walls whose upper edges are straight and in which transverse partition structure is struck from the region of the carrier blank which is intermediate and adjacent to the inner ends of a pair of telescoping handle panels. This structure is provided with a common anchoring panel on each side of the handle and each partition strip is secured to an anchoring tab foldably joined to the top edge of each side wall and folded downwardly into flat face contacting relation with the inner surface of each side wall and secured thereto. Thus by this invention a sturdy and economical carrier is provided which affords pleasing and attractive appearance and which provides secure and adequate protection for the primary packages disposed within the carrier.

For a better understanding of the invention reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a set-up carrier formed according to the invention; FIG. 2 is a plan view of a single blank from which the carrier of FIG. 1 is formed; FIGS. 3, 4, and 6 represent gluing and folding operations through which the blank of FIG. 2 is manipulated in order to form the completed but collapsed carrier shown in FIG. 6.

With reference to the drawings the numeral 1 designates a side wall having end wall panels 2 and 3 foldably joined thereto along fold lines 4 and 5 respectively. A bottom panel 6 is foldably joined to side wall 1 along fold line 7. Media] panels 8 and 9 are foldably joined to end wall panels 2 and 3 respectively along fold lines 10 and 11 and locking notches l2 and 13 are formed in medial panels 8 and 9. A reinforcing panel 14 is foldably joined to medial panel 8 along fold line 15.

The carrier handle includes inner telescoping handle panel 16 which is foldably joined to medial panel 8 2 hand gripping aperture 21. Outer telescoping handle panel 22 is foldably joined to medial panel 9 along fold line 23 and to outer handle panel 24 along medial fold line 25.

Medial panels 26 and 27 are foldably joined to handle panels 18 and 24 respectively along fold lines 28 and 29 and are provided with conventional locking notches 30 and 31. End wall panels 32 and 33 are foldably joined to medial panels 26 and 27 respectively along fold lines 34 and 35. End wall panel 32 is foldably joined to side wll 36 along fold line 37 and end wall panel 33 is foldably joined to side wall 36 along fold line 38.

A notch 39 is formed in medial panel 27 and a rein forcing tab 40 defines one edge of hand gripping notch 39.

Bottom wall 41 is foldably joined to side wall 36 along fold line 42 and is provided with a pair of conventional locking notches 43 and 44 at opposite ends of medial fold line 45.

Transverse partition structure formed according to this invention is shown in FIG. 2 in the center portion of the blank between the upper edges of the side walls 1 and 36 and generally intermediate the inner ends of handle panels 16 and 18 on the one hand and.handle panels 22 and 24 on the other. This transverse partition structure comprises a plurality of anchoring tabs 46, 47 and 48 which are foldably joined to the top edge of side wall 1 along fold lines 49, 50 and 51 respectively. A plurality of partition strips 52, 53, and 54 are foldably joined to anchoring tabs 46, 47 and 48 along fold lines 55, 56 and 57. A medial slit 58 defines an edge of common anchoring panel 59 which is foldably joined to the inner ends of partition strips 52, 53 and 54 along fold lines 60, 61 and 62.

Transverse partition structure on the other side of the carrier comprises a plurality of anchoring tabs 63, 64 and 65 which are foldably joined to the top edge of side wall 36 along fold lines 66, 67 and 68 respectively. Transverse partition strips 69, 70 and 71 are foldably joined respectively to anchoring tabs 63, 64 and 65 along fold lines 72, 73 and 74. A common anchoring panel 75 is separated along slit 58 from the common anchoring panel 59 and is provided with fold lines 76, 77 and 78 by which the inner ends of transverse partition strips 69, 70 and 71 are anchored to the medial partition handle structure according to one aspect of this invention.

In order to manipulate the blank shown in FIG. 2 into the condition represented in FIG. 3, an application of glue is made to the side walls 1 and 36 as shown by stippling in FIG. 2. Thereafter the common anchoring panel 59 is elevated and folded toward the inner surface of side wall 1 to cause anchoring tabs 46, 47, and 48 to adhere to the inner surface of side wall 1. Simultaneously, common anchoring panel 75 is elevated and folded toward the inner surface of side wall 36 to cause partition strips 69, 70 and 71 as well as anchoring tabs 63, 64 and 65 to swing into the positions represented in FIG. 3. This action causes anchoring tabs 63, 64 and 65 to adhere to the inner surface of side wall 36 and the blank then appears as shown in FIG. 3.

For the purpose of conditioning the blank as shown in FIG. 3 for manipulation into the condition depicted in FIG. 4, an application of glue is made to handle panels l6, 18, 22 and 24, to common anchoring panel 59, to reinforcing panel 14 and to medial panels 8 and 26 as indicated by stippling in FIG. 3. Thereafter end wall panels 2 and 32 are elevated and folded upwardly and toward the right along fold lines 4 and 37 respectively. Simultaneously inner handle panels 16 and 18 are folded along fold lines 17 and 28 respectively to cause medial panels 8 and 26 to adhere to the inner surfaces of handle panels 16 and 18. Simultaneously reinforcing panel 14 is caused to adhere to the inner surface of inner handle panel 18 while the outer surfaces of inner handle panels 16 and 18 become adhered to the inner surfaces of outer handle panels 22 and 24. This opera tion causes medial panel 8 to adhere to common anchoring panel 59 and thus to secure the inner ends of partition strips 52, 53 and 54 to the medial partition handle structure. The blank then appears as shown in FIG. 4.

Thereafter an application of glue is made to medial panels 9 and 27, to outer handle panels 22 and 24 and to common anchoring panel 75 as shown by stippling in FIG. 4. Thereafter medial panels 9 and 27 are elevated and folded toward the left along fold lines 11 and 35 respectively to occupy the positions depicted in FIG. 5. Of course the upper portions of medial panels 9 and 27 become adhered to the inner surfaces of outer handle panels 22 and 24 by virtue of this folding operation. This folding operation causes the medial panel 27 to become adhered to the common anchoring panel 75 so as to secure the inner ends of transverse partition strips 69, 70 and 71 to the medial partition handle structure according to a feature of the invention.

After the blank is glued as shown in FIG. 5, side wall 1 and all other portions of the blank disposed above fold lines and 25 as shown in FIG. 5 are elevated and folded forwardly to form the blank in collapsed condition as shown in FIG. 6. This folding operation causes bottom panel 6 to become adhered to bottom panel 41 and also secures medial panel 9 in overlapping face contacting relation with medial panel 26 while the inner edge of medial panel 8 is secured in overlapping relation to medial panel 27. Of course medial panels 8 and 26 become adhered to each other as do medial panels 9 and 27 while reinforcing panel 14 becomes secured to the inner surface of medial panel 8 as is obvious from FIG. 5. Also this folding operation causes common anchoring panel 59 to become adhered to medial panels 27 and 8 thereby providing additional carrier strength through the handle area as is apparent from FIGS. 3, 4 and 5.

From FIG. 5 it is apparent that reinforcing tab 40 is arranged with its inner end disposed immediately above hand gripping aperture and with a portion of its inner end portionadjacent to and below the inner end of reinforcing panel 14 to provide a continuous strip which reinforces the handle above the hand gripping aperture according to one feature of this invention. Furthermore the fact that the medial panels 8 and 27 overlap and are secured together as are the inner ends of medial panels 9 and 26 insures that the medial partition handle structure of the carrier is sturdy and well calculated to lend substantial mechanical strength to the entire carrier structure. Furthermore adequate bottle separation is thus afforded between the articles on 4 one side of the handle and those on the other side by the medial partition handle structure of this invention.

The carrier is set up by simply securing the side walls against motion toward the left as viewed in FIG. 6 while simultaneously applying a force toward the left to the medial edge portions 11 and 35 of end wall panels-3 and 33. This action causes the locking notches 13 and 31 to engage the locking notch 44 and also may cause the locking notches 12 and 30 to engage the locking notch 43 to secure the carrier in set-up condition as shown in FIG. 1. Since the inner ends of the transverse partition strips 52, 53 and 54 are securely anchored by virtue of the common anchoring panel 59 to the medial partition handle structure on one side of the carrier and since the transverse partition strips 69, and 71 are securely anchored by virtue of the common anchoring panel 75 to the other side of the medial partition panel structure, it is apparent that these transverse partitions are mechanically strong and that the precise and accu-.

rate manipulation of these elements through the manufacturing process is assured according to a feature of the invention. In addition a greatly strengthened handle structure is provided by the adhesion of the common anchoring panel to medial panels at each end of the carrier and which in effect forms a continuous strut throughout the length of the carrier handle.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An article carrier comprising a bottom wall, side walls foldably joined to the side edges of said bottom wall, end wall panels foldably joined to the end edges of,

each of said end wall panels, a plurality of spaced apart anchoring tabs foldably joined to the top edges of each side wall and secured in flat face contacting relation to the inner surfaces thereof, a plurality of partition strips foldably joined respectively at their outer ends to said anchoring tabs, and a common anchoring panel foldably joined to the inner ends of said partition strips on each side of said medial partition handle structure and one of said common anchoring panels being secured in flat face contacting relation to two of said medial panels at opposite ends of the carrier respectively, said two medial panels being foldably joined to end wall panels which are disposed on opposite sides of said medial partition handle structure.

2. A carrier according to claim 1 wherein the inner ends of said two medial panels are disposed in overlapping face contacting relation and are secured together.

3. An article carrier according to claim 1 wherein a reinforcing tab is formed internally on the other of said overlapping medial panels and disposed with its inner end underneath at least a portion of the inner end of said reinforcing panel thereby to afford reinforcement 7 of said hand gripping aperture. 

1. An article carrier comprising a bottom wall, side walls foldably joined to the side edges of said bottom wall, end wall panels foldably joined to the end edges of said side walls and extending inwardly therefrom, medial partition handle structure including a medial panel foldably joined at its outer end to the inner edge of each of said end wall panels, a plurality of spaced apart anchoring tabs foldably joined to the top edges of each side wall and secured in flat face contacting relation to the inner surfaces thereof, a plurality of partition strips foldably joined respectively at their outer ends to said anchoring tabs, and a common anchoring panel foldably joined to the inner ends of said partition strips on each side of said medial partition handle structure and one of said common anchoring panels being secured in flat face contacting relation to two of said medial panels at opposite ends of the carrier respectively, said two medial panels being foldably joined to end wall panels which are disposed on opposite sides of said medial partition handle structure.
 2. A carrier according to claim 1 wherein the inner ends of said two medial panels are disposed in overlapping face contacting relation and are secured together.
 3. An article carrier according to claim 1 wherein a reinforcing tab is formed internally on the other of said overlapping medial panels and disposed with its inner end underneath at least a portion of the inner end of said reinforcing panel thereby to afford reinforcement throughout the length of said medial partition handle structure.
 4. An article carrier according to claim 3 wherein said reinforcing tab is disposed above at least a portion of said hand gripping aperture. 